"It is important to increase choice among contraceptives for women and inform them about their pros and cons.

"This work is an important step towards understanding how new technologies can improve old methods."

Natika Halil, CEO for sexual health charity FPA, told The Huffington Post UK that interest in health apps is increasing and they potentially have "wide-reaching benefits in helping women avoid or plan pregnancies".

But we shouldn't necessarily rule out the pill.

"Natural Cycles is based on fertility awareness methods - also known as natural family planning - a method of contraception that has been around for a long time and suits many women," she explained.

"Current evidence suggests that fertility awareness methods are most effective when they are taught by a specialist and when more than one fertility indicator is used.

"Apps which only involve entering your body temperature and length of your cycle aren’t taking into account cervical secretions, which are another useful indicator of the fertile time.

"We already know that when used correctly, according to teaching and instructions, natural family planning can be up to 99% effective so we’re very interested to see the results of the Swedish study and would like to see further studies done."

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Fertility App Almost As Effective As Contraceptive Pill In Preventing Pregnancies, Study Finds

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Halil added that women should be "cautious" of the results for the moment, particularly as other evidence suggests that typical use of fertility awareness methods - when they are not used according to instructions - can result in as many as 24 out of 100 women becoming pregnant in a year.

She continued: "Effectiveness depends on women being able to take their temperature and record it in the app every day, which won’t be suitable for some women in the same way the pill might not be suitable if you have trouble remembering to take it at the same time every day.

"And don’t forget that if you’re relying on an app you might not always have a working, charged mobile phone or tablet."

She noted that there are plenty of other contraceptive methods where effectiveness doesn't rely on a woman remembering to take or use them, such as the implant or an intrauterine device.

"It’s also important to remember non-hormonal methods aren’t for everyone – hormonal contraception gives a wide range of other benefits, including improving acne, controlling or stopping periods and improving PMS," she said.

While she said she would never recommend one method of contraception over another, she did say that women should opt for something based on what suits them at a particular time in their life.

"We want women to find a method that they are happy with that suits their lifestyle but it’s really important not to demonise the pill," she said.

"It may have a number of potential side-effects, and some of them are very serious, but they don’t affect all women and there are many benefits as well.

"A lot of women have really positive experiences on the pill and it can sometimes take a few tries to find a brand that works for you."

Would you trust a fertility app over the pill? Let us know in the poll below.

Quick poll: Would you trust a fertility app, over the contraceptive pill, to prevent pregnancy?